Monday, October 03, 2011

If you've never read it before, The Columbus Dispatch defines the hometown homer newspaper. They have a daily update keeping track of the "days since Michigan's last victory over Ohio State in football"(with nary an asterisk or hint of shame to be found in the wake of the latest scandals). Hell, it was an open secret in C-bus about the tats and other transgressions under Vestocchio, but the paper had its nose so far up Brutus's ass, they never saw a thing.

Yes, what Pravda was to the former Soviet Union, the Dispatch is to Tosu*. Which is why I got a chuckle yesterday after reading an email from our pal, Surrounded in Columbus (who, as his screen name indicates, is a Michigan fan living in the belly of the beast). In the wake of Ohio State's 10-7 loss to MSU, he sent us a picture of the front page of Sunday's Dispatch along with the following:

Sorta like "Where's Waldo?", this is "Where's the Buckeye?" headline.

First time in years that the tosu game is NOT a front page story. Quarter inch banner and reference to the sports section? Unheard of.

17 comments:

YOU MISSED IT! The game information IS on the front page. Look halfway down on left column:"Stabbing at school rooted in bullying"It's goes on to say how the Spartans bullied the hell out of the Buckeyes on Saturday and it led to Fickell stabbing Sparty. No injuries as Fickell was sacked way before he could plunge the knife.

at the rate things are unraveling here, we may not see tosu on the front page until they hire a new coach in December?

probably my favorite part of today's press conference on the latest "paying players" snafu? the 4 players being investigated all worked for the same booster who just happened to be the guy that supposedly funneled money from Pryor to the 3 other players that were suspended earlier. and yet Gene Smith vehemently denies that ANY of these events are connected, or represent any sort of wider problem. These are all “individual” mistakes, by individuals.

Smith seems to be doing the same thing. there's still multiple investigations going on, ESPN is litigating to get copies of emails that tosu is desperately trying to keep hidden, and the team is playing like crap on the field. and Smith sits there and says w/ a straight face that everything's just fine, all these incidents are unconnected, and that there won't be anymore problems w/ the NCAA.

I get the feeling that tOSU has someone on the inside at the NCAA and I don't think that they will get half of what they deserve. I don't understand why they don't clean house and get rid of these dweebs, it obviously has been a long standing problem. You have to wonder about Sparty with Dantonio's connections to tOSU (and his continued connections). If you saw the article on line yesterday about the over paid players......the comments were hysterical......defending tOSU.

Then there is the obvious top 2 teams in the poles who openly over sign players. Seriously, this is making the NCAA look like a joke.

We were hit pretty hard for over practicing by 20 minutes. We admitted our mistakes, corrected them. If you remember the story on Mgoblog about the player who had a friend fix his brakes, he bought his own parts and bought beer and pizza for his friend as payment and compliance went straight away to the friend, investigated how much it would have cost to have the brakes fixed and MADE the player write him a check. (even though this friend accepted beer and pizza from his other frineds as payment). There is a way to monitor all of these types of things because WE are doing it. I would be broken hearted if we didn't, I think that one of the things about college football is teaching kids how to be upstanding adults. That really is more important than winning. (although winning is right up there!)

I will say it again. I thought Hoke was going to be a bust and now I think we couldn't have picked a better coach. Not just because he is turning this program around and winning, but because he holds high standards for these kids. Stonum out for the year for 1 DUI, compared to Floyd at ND who was suspended for the off season for his 3rd DUI and returned to play for the season.......that is the Michigan difference folks and I think it is awesome.

Gene Smith was at one time considered to be a likely candidate to head the NCAA. I would have to think that is dead (though the stupidity of the NCAA seemingly knows no limits.) However, he is well connected and knows how the rules work (and don't work) and has been able to keep OSU from getting punished more severely than we deserve.

I don't want to get hit with FTM or LOIC, but I'm not sure how, in all honesty, we aren't. We doo appear to be well on our way to giving ourselves a post season bowl ban by stinking up the joint.

We need to clean house. I'm not sure Meyer would want the headache that this job will be, but whoever comes in needs to pretty much install a completely new staff. Of course I don't know that Meyer would be that much cleaner. The same house cleaning needs to be done with Compliance. And Smith needs to go. The unwritten performance reviews for Tressel tell me that he knew there was a problem and tried to find a clever way of not having a paper trail.

Hoke, so far, seems to be a good choice for you. I've posted here a couple times that I hoped Fickell and Hoke would do well and we would get a new version of the 10 year war. That will not happen now.

I have to say that I’ve noticed a subtle but seismic mood shift here in Cowtown over the last 24 hours. Between the pathetic showing on the field Saturday (which many can directly attribute to the absence of Pryor, the new coaching staff, and the still missing other players- all a result of the scandals) and the latest suspensions, more than a few tosu fans have come to realize (finally) that they really have a big problem.

Even the most diehard bucknutt is having trouble not seeing that Posey & Herron, taking dollars from a phantom job they didn’t really work (and claim they didn’t know how much they were being paid either), just a month or two after they were suspended for selling memorabilia to a drug dealer, from the same booster who also funneled money from (supposedly) Pryor to 3 other players “working” at a charity event, is a sign of a wide spread problem.

On the other hand, don’t read too much into their acknowledgement of the issue. If we don’t beat them in November? They won’t care about any of this- the “W” always justifies everything here in Columbus.

As people who follow me know, I have three favorite college teams - Michigan (my favorite since I was a kidling), Eastern Michigan (my Alma Mater) and Navy (almost went in the Navy, my dad and both grandpas were in the Navy). I would like to think that all three of those teams hold themselves to high standards (English has suspended key players for not playing by the rules) and despite their records, I think they are better off for it. It would be nice if the NCAA would hold other teams and conferences to similar standards so that there would in fact be some competition. But it's not likely.

Well after futher violations have come to light,and with great regret I can no longer support TOSU! Due too the fact they have bought dishonor to the Big Ten. I will no longer try to defend them,buy any of there gear(don't really waste money on it anyways like a"wallmart wolverine")nor will I waste time on them UNTIL they FIRE ALL involved and banish Jim Tressel and his victories from that school. Sorry but that "good guy' Tressel turns out to be a weasel and worse a CHEATER! His recruits or at least some just as sleazy as there coach! TOSU needs to rid theseleves of this stink, The Dean,A.D. and ANY coach involved need to be fired!!! So with much regret I am turning in my TOSU fan card and will find another team the cares about there tradition,how they represent the Big Ten. I do live in michigain but would NEVER start likeing uofm (respect them though) so I will look around and my teams Iam liking are MSU,Wisconsin,Northwestern(lov​able undergog) so post any suggestions please!

hs8bern - the only REAL choice you have is the Maize and Blue. Tressel's son coaches for MSU, plus Dantonio was an assistant at tOSU, so they must come off your list instantly. Wiskey isn't a bad choice, they certainly are tough and play smash mouth football. There band had some rowdy days on the road that they got in some trouble for. Northwestern. Not bad for the underdog viewpoint, also their academics are more advanced than some of the other schools. But really, do you want to cheer on a team that at best has a winning season but is never (or extremely rarely)going to be the B10 champ? You see.......Maize and Blue bably.....Maise and Blue! HAIL! Good luck with your decision. My condolences for your loss.

If I double post for some reason, I'm sorry. It looked like it took my last comments but don't see them.

Sic, I agree, winning fixes everything and were we 5-0 the spin here would be ESPN, the NCAA, the Knights Templar and the Trilateral Commission were out to get us.

Instead, the unviersity spin and that of some fans is Tressel was a control freak and that caused both the player problems (because he tried to handle it himself) and the offensive problems (because he had incompetent yes-men as coaches so he really was the offesnive coaching staff. There is some truth to both statements, clearly the offensive coaches are lost without him and clearly he seemed to have avoided going to Compliance and tried to take care of issues outside of proper lines. However, the latest with Posey, Herron and the others was after Tressel left. And it was Fickel, who I like, who made a terrible decision in letting Jordan Hall be a Team Cpatain.

Gene Smith can try to spin it, but it is more than Tressel. Actually my tinfoil hat side thinks Smith is a Manchurian Candidate that ND is using to ruin us. :)

hs8bern,

You probably want to go with Wisconsin.

You can still wear your non-OSU red stuff.

They play traditional Big Ten Manball. Yeah they've mixed it up a bit this year, but they still pretty much line up and try to blow their opponent off the ball.

They seem to have a clean program, at least according to their coach. Seriously, I haven't heard much bad out of Madison.

They have the courage, unlike Michigan, to have a cute mascot for the kids.

Like OSU, they have a subset of fans who can be real a-holes to visitng fans, bands, players and crippled orphans.

The only downside is their weak non-conference schedule will likely keep them on the outside looking in at MNC games. OSU and Michigan at least try to play one good non Big Ten BCS team every season.

I think my team is going to be........... NAVY! I serverd in the navy and you can't go wrong liking a service academy! You guys are right about msu with the osu stink around it. Wisconsin was never a big choice,but no way can I switch over to u of m(sorta like luke skywalker accepting darth vaders offer)LOL! I do have much respect for uofm but just can't do it! As for the fan base at TOSU most of them are classless too! So I will root for most big ten teams,and be happy watching everyone except tosu:(

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